For many labels, editorials are the only chance to show, not tell what they are really about. They are the visual representation of any fashion brand, just as important as the runway shows and the brick and mortar stores.
2015 gave us many interesting and innovative editorial campaigns and we at The Other Style have chosen our top Nigerian fashion editorials of the year. In no particular order, here they are.
TIFFANY AMBER SUMMER 2015
The Tiffany Amber Summer 2015 collection came on the heels of the brand’s 15th anniversary, a lavish affair that started with a photo shoot honouring several women who Tiffany Amber suggests, embodies the T.A. brand and culminated with a exclusive gala where the Tiffany Amber ambassadors were feted and the brand’s new collection was unveiled. The look book, styled by Jaguar Lagos Fashion Awards nominee Tokyo James and shot by international photographer Christina Goka, saw the brand embrace an edgier aesthetic targeted at a younger, more adventurous woman. The hair and make up mirrored late 90’s punk and helped sell Tiffany Amber’s new direction.
IAMISIGO EAST OF WEST AUTUMN 15
Following her critically accepted Spring Summer 15 collection Taboo, Gbubemi Ogisi decided to shake things up again, reaching to far off American Westerns as inspiration for her new collection, East Of West. Her look book, shot in South Africa during her debut showcase of the new collection, featured a South African photographer and multi-racial model thin enough to raise eyebrows. The editorial was made memorable because it riffed off the Heroin chic aesthetic of the late 90’s made popular by Kate Moss and was very risque for the Nigerian conservative audience.
MUSE FACTORY’s FLORAL TEASE RESORT 15
The Muse Factory, an emerging women’s wear brand made quite the first impression with their resort 15 lookbook which featured mega model Uju Marshall and the creative direction of Tosin Ogundadegbe. The editorial makes our list on the strength of how completely it was able to distill the essence of the clothes in set choices and the general aesthetic of the piece, drawing inspiration from summer and Frida Kahlo.
MAKI OH SUMMER 16
Amaka Osakwe’s new collection was a distinct deviation from her usual fare of cosmology interwoven with Nigerian history. Tackling the more abstract concept of futility through the Yoruba idea of ‘Arodan’, Maki weaves an experimental collection threaded into a cohesive unit by sheer will and incredible focus. Her look book, builds on the base ideas of her collection, using a room of mirrors as a backdrop for her Adire dresses, Lurex skrousers and beautiful reworked Fulani blouses. This tangential shift in ideology and representation makes the new Maki Oh editorial one of our favourites for 2015
Credit: Maki Oh
FUNKE ADEPOJU RESORT 15
This was Lanre Da Silva’s brand director Onyinye Fafi Obi’s first go at creative director for another brand’s shoot under her management outfit Studio Matte and she does excellently, crafting an air of luxury for the Funke Adepoju’s resort collection of lush dresses and pantsuits. The set which features a genuine baby grand piano immediately evokes images of cocktail evenings and cultured conversation.
CLAN CLASSICS
Styled by Dimeji Alara and shot by ace photographer Lakin Ogunbanwo, the Clan CLASSICS campaign captures the essence of the collection, a catalogue of classic ideas and silhouettes reinterpreted for the 21’st century. With Zainab Balogun as muse and model and renowed stylist Alara directing, they manage to create an editorial that is as classic as it is contemporary.
